The most telling detail here is not that dancehall got added to the name, it’s that according to former JUNO Reggae Committee chair Carrie Mullings, dancehall was already eligible all along.
Mullings, who spent 17 years on the committee and 12 as its chair, says the category description always included dancehall submissions, meaning the rename is more symbolic than structural.
That said, the symbolism is landing well with artists in Canada’s reggae and dancehall community. Canada-based dancehall artist Phenique called the update “a positive step forward,” saying the changes create more opportunities for artists across different genres to have their work recognised and celebrated.
Tony Anthony, a broadcaster and curator of the weekly Reggae North Canadian Reggae/Dancehall Top 20 chart, went further.
He described the inclusion as “a significant and long-overdue step forward,” pointing out that industry professionals and supporters within the community have been pushing for dancehall to be properly recognised on one of Canada’s biggest music stages for years.
2025 JUNO nominee Skystar, who is originally from the Kingston 20 area and now represents Jamaican music in Canada, framed it as a generational moment.
For artists like myself who represent the next generation of Jamaican music here in Canada, this recognition matters,” he said, adding that it signals the sound, culture and evolution of their music are being seen and valued.
But Mullings is not ready to celebrate without pushing the conversation further. Her bigger concern is that a full album body of work and a single can still be submitted in the same category, competing against each other.
She is calling for the category to be split into two, one for single submissions and one for albums and EPs, arguing that as the music grows, the community needs to keep expressing its needs for expansion and recognition.
The JUNO Awards trace their reggae category back to 1985, when it launched as Best Reggae/Calypso Recording. It became Best Reggae Recording in 1994, then Reggae Recording of the Year in 2003, and now this latest rename ahead of the 2027 staging marks another chapter in that long evolution.
The category update is part of a broader set of changes CARAS announced for the 2027 awards. Rap is being restructured into Melodic Rap Recording of the Year and Rap Recording of the Year, replacing the previous album and single split.
The Electronic/Dance categories are also being reorganised, and Contemporary Christian/Gospel is being expanded to allow singles, EPs and albums to compete together.
Submissions for the 2027 JUNO Awards open on September 21 and close on November 5. The 56th annual ceremony is set to broadcast live from Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on April 4, 2027, with JUNO Week running from April 1 through to that date.
Whether the rename translates into more dancehall nominations and wins, or whether the deeper structural questions Mullings is raising get addressed before then, remains to be seen.
